D. T. Iverson: Stories

Each year, I post a tribute to honor service. The aim is to highlight groups that might not otherwise be recognized. This year, I took it a step further. The Dickin Medal reminds us that humans are not the only species capable of honor and commitment. It has been awarded 74 times to animals for “acts of conspicuous gallantry and heroism in war.” That is the case with the subject of this story. He epitomizes valor and selfless devotion to duty, and that is why I’ve chosen to tell his story.

This is a story of courage and perseverance under horrible circumstances. Seventy-seven Army and Navy nurses were captured when the Philippines fell to the Japanese. They were interned with 4,000 others at the Santo Tomas Camp in Manila. There, they provided life-saving medical care that led to them being called the Angels of Bataan. This is a coming-of-age story where the hero learns important life lessons from these dedicated women and finds love at the end.

He was an Irish cop from the toughest part of Manhattan. She was a Cheyenne maiden from the Montana High Country. He rescued her from some very bad men. In return, she mended his broken heart. The whole improbable story plays out against the panorama of the Civil War and America's relentless movement West. There's a bit of a twist at the end. But who doesn't like surprises?

He's a hard headed County Sheriff with one failed marriage. She's a beautiful and mysterious lady with a past that doesn't make sense. It might sound crazy. But he is beginning to suspect that the woman he is falling in love with is the victim of an eighty-year-old murder.

Every 4th of July, I post a tribute to those who’ve served. The main character evolves from childhood to adulthood. That happens when you take the oath. I try to highlight lesser-known contributors so they are also memorialized, and this year’s story certainly fits that bill. Before researching this, my only knowledge of the 442nd RCT came courtesy of Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, which is unfortunate, since those were real-life heroes and this is their true story. Please enjoy...

I post a story every July to honor the folks who've served. I try to focus on obscure people in each, not the heroes. This one is about the Women Air Service Pilots—the WASPs. Those brave women were true American patriots. But their story was hidden from all of us for over thirty years. The plot is a coming-of-age tale for children of the Greatest Generation… sort of a latter-day Pilgrim's Progress—and most of the characters are real. Please enjoy…

I like to honor unsung heroes. This year, it’s the WACs. Their badge is Athene Pallas, the goddess of war and wisdom. The WACs were all of that. They were volunteers in an era when most of their male counterparts were drafted. But they were women in this man’s Army. So, they never got the credit they’d earned and deserve. The other day, I ran across a yard sign that said, “Land of the Free, BECAUSE of the Brave.” That’s who I’m talking about here.

This is the second in my Tugboat Man series. This time, Tug is in the race of his life against some very bad...well... not quite people. The title tells the tale. No, it has nothing to do with the Da Vinci code. But it's in the ballpark. The wife is from Atlantis, so there are some unavoidable sci-fi aspects. But this is actually nothing more than pure romantic adventure. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. D.T.

This is the most frequently downloaded of all my stories, so I thought I would post it here. It is the first of four in a series. I am posting the second one along with it. I'll add the other two if you like these. I consider myself the poet-laureate of the nerd world. And I want my stories to have a lot of twists and turns. That's what I am giving you here. I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did writing it.